Derrick Rose recently spent some time away from the Cleveland Cavaliers as he contemplated his future in the NBA.

After suffering an ankle injury with the Cavs, it was reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Dave McMenamin that the mental and physical burden of another setback was becoming too much for the point guard to deal with.

The franchise was happy to offer him as much time as he needed to come to a decision.

Finally this week he met with the front office and elected to remain in the league and began the process of returning to the team.

If Rose had chosen to retire, it would have been a costly decision for him. Not only would he have lost the money remaining on his Cavaliers contract, but also his $80 million endorsement deal with Adidas.

But speaking to the media for the first time since his mini-sabbatical, the former MVP explained that this wasn't the motivating factor behind his return.

"Man, I don't care about - not to be rude - I don't care about no f---ing money," he said per ESPN's McMenamin.

"It's not about that. I've saved up enough money. It's not about that. If I wanted to leave, I would have left. Like I said, coming back here, starting with rehab, that's my first step. Keeping it simple and just giving my team support and then I'll see what I see off the court."

After his self-imposed two-week exile, the former Chicago Bulls star says he's now focused on getting back on the court and helping his team.

"I'm here for my team," he said. "I'm here to win. And that's one of the reasons why I came back. ... I just want to hoop."

The three-time All-Star will have to wait until he can do that, however, as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.

He revealed to reporters that he has a bone spur in his left ankle and may require surgery if his rehab doesn't fix the issue.

The 28-year-old averaged 14.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists over seven games this season for the Cavs, who have gone 13-1 since he last suited up.

There have been concerns raised in recent days about whether his reintegration into the team will be a good thing for Cleveland as they've played so well without him.

When he does recover from his latest injury, though, he is likely to assume a role as the backup point guard to Isaiah Thomas who is scheduled to make a return in mid-December.